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The
Economy &
Crime
The Outcome
The numerous costs associated
with crime are detrimental to the
economy. When criminal activity occurs,
everyone in society has to suffer. Crime
affects the economy much more severely
than the economys condition affects the
rate of crime. Through costs for
prevention and costs for damages from
crime, the economy is at a loss when
crime occurs. Governments have to
spend more money, prices for goods are
inflated, and personal expenses are
magnified.


Works Cited

Chantrill, Christopher. "Government Spending
Details." US Government Spending.
N.p.,
18 Feb 2014. Web. 18 Feb 2014.

Detotto, Claudio. "Does Crime Affect Economic
Growth?." Ideas. 63.3 (2010): 330-345.
Web. 24 Feb. 2014.
<http://ideas.repec.org/a/bla/kyklos/v63y
2010i3p330-345.html>.

Hillstrom, . "Shoplifting Law and Legal
Definition." U.S. Legal. Northern Lights,
n.d. Web.18 Feb 2014.
<http://definitions.uslegal.com/s/shopliftin
g/>.

Lenhardt, Alfonso E. "The Economics of
Prevention: Reducing Costs and Crime."
Police Chief Magazine. 7 Jul 2006: n.
page. Web. 23 Feb. 2014.
<http://www.policechiefmagazine.org/ma
gazine/index.cfm?fuseaction=display_ar
ch&article_id=928&issue_id=72006>.


The Relationship
Between State of
the Economy and
Crime Rates

By Claire Anderson

Criminals also contribute to high prices of
goods. Businesses lose billions of dollars
annually due to shoplifters. This affects the
business and the consumers. In order to
compensate for the money lost from
shoplifters, businesses have to increase the
prices of their goods (Hillstrom).
Employees also tend to steal from
businesses. In fact, The U.S Chamber of
Commerce reports that an employee is 15
times more likely than a nonemployee to
steal from an employer. These employees
cost U.S. businesses twenty to forty billion
dollars a year. In order to make up for the
amount lost, workingmen and women
contribute around four hundred dollars per
year ("Inc."). Aside from theft, employers
pay five billion dollars collectively each year
due to violent crimes according to the FBI
Uniform Crime Reports (Lenhardt).

Individual Costs
Government Costs
Business Costs
Crime creates unnecessary costs
for individuals. Victims often replace or
repair stolen or damaged items at their
own expense (Lenhardt). Not only do
people pay for replacements or damages
done to personal property, but they also
spend massive amounts of money to
prevent crime from happening to them.
Citizens pay for alarms, video
surveillance cameras, and other home
security systems in order to discourage
criminals and catch them in the act.

Governments pay $8
billion alone for emergency
and restorative services to
victims a year
Alfonso E. Lenhardt

Criminal activity acts
like a tax on the entire
economy,
Claudio Detotto
Crime pressures the government into
spending billions of dollars on advanced
security and other expenses each year. It
is expected that the national government
will spend 262.2 billion dollars on protection
for the United States in 2014. As the rate of
crime increases, the amount of money the
government spends on security also
increases. This includes police services,
prisons, and public order and safety
(Chantrill).